Bennet and veterans slam Buck for favoring privately run VA hospitals

UPDATED 4:25 p.m. | With a longer transcript of the context of Buck’s remarks.

Sen. Michael Bennet’s campaign turned up the heat Thursday on Republican Ken Buck’s statement that the private sector could operate hospitals better than the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Vietnam veteran Artie Guerrero and his service dog, Sierra; still from video by The Denver Post

Bennet’s camp has now gotten high mileage from footage of Buck answering a question in June, where he responds, “Would a veteran’s administration hospital that is run by the private sector be better run than by the public sector? In my view, yes.” (Video link at bottom of post.)

Buck’s footage has now made it to liberal host Keith Olbermann’s show on MSNBC, where the host named Buck one of his “worser” people in the world for the comments. Another MSNBC host, Ed Schultz, also picked up on the statement.

Veterans assembled by Bennet’s campaign at the Colorado memorial Thursday said that while the VA is not perfect, they trust a bureaucracy by and for veterans far more than the private sector.

“We’ve never complained about the quality of care, we’ve only complained about the process,” said wheelchair-bound Vietnam veteran Artie Guerrero. Democratic State Rep. Joe Rice, also a veteran, said the system was set up intentionally so that private companies wouldn’t make a profit from veterans, “and that’s the way it should stay.”

Buck did not back away from the statement.

“Ken said that private companies do a better job than the government. Most people agree with Ken, that the government doesn’t always provide the best service, take a look at Walter Reed. While Michael Bennet is fine with the status quo, Ken believes our veterans deserve the best,” said campaign manager John Swartout.

The problem with that response, as many of the veterans gathered for Bennet quickly pointed out, is that the now-infamous Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., is run by the Department of Defense, not the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Buck spokesman Owen Loftus said the VA has its own troubles. “You can look online and see several articles about neglect at VA hospitals. Ken believes that our veterans deserve the best,” Loftus said. “Is Bennet calling on the VA to drop all of it’s contracts with private health care providers?”

Probably not by coincidence, the footage of Buck’s June statements surfaced in a week where Bennet has worked hard to emphasize his veteran-assistance credentials. He held a conference call earlier in the week to highlight more steps he wants for helping veterans coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan, including expansion of a troops-to-teachers program.

Following is the video of Buck answering the question in June, posted at ThinkProgress. We asked the Bennet campaign for a longer stretch of video surrounding the answer posted here; they did not offer any. Buck, though, has not disputed the footage as wrong or wholly out of context.

The Bennet campaign later provided a broader context for Buck’s remarks in a video and transcript of the question and answer exchange. The transcript is here, to judge for yourself. Buck mentions that his son is at West Point and will be an officer next year:

“… and I feel real strongly about the obligation that we have to our veterans in this country. And, I think that when they go into harms way to protect us we need to do everything we can to make the whole if something happens.”

Q:Do you favor doing that through the private sector or through our current government structure?

Buck: “Well, I think there should be a partnership. But I think the government has to take the lead. The government is the entity that has put our young people in harms way, and our government has to take the lead. Now, would, would a veteran’s administration hospital that is run by the private sector be better run then by the public sector? In my view, yes. But, does the funding for something like that have to come from the public sector and not from the injured veteran’s pocket? Yes.”

Talk to any veteran who uses a Veteran’s Hospital. It is unanimous that those poorly run institutions need massive doses of upgrades. The present government is not providing the help those hospitals need to providing first rate medical services to our veterans who have given so much to their country.

“But, does the funding for something like that have to come from the public sector and not from the injured veteran’s pocket? Yes.”
Just another example of Republicans consistent desire to privatize public functions to ensure another profit line for some big corporation. Do you think Araserve would like this business ? Or maybe Hospital Corporation of America . The Frist and his family became multi-billionaires running up the cost of a hospital stay.

“But, does the funding for something like that have to come from the public sector and not from the injured veteran’s pocket? Yes.”
Just another example of Republicans consistent desire to privatize public functions to ensure another profit line for some big corporation. Do you think Araserve would like this business ? Or maybe Hospital Corporation of America . The Frist and his family became multi-billionaires running up the cost of a hospital stay.

I,m a vet , and it takes 3 months to get an appointment with your doctor.But when you get it, the doctors are very good. One doctor at the Denver Va gave up a very good pratice to take care of Vets, God Bless Him. He is at the hospital as late as 8:00 at night.I know, I am his patient.

And look at all the good it’s done veterans. I’m surprised that Bennet is trying to defend government control of VA hospitals. We know all the complaints with our VA hospitals. How many complaints have we had, relatively, with privately-run hospitals? Oh, yeah, that’s right. I’m still waiting for a major congressional investigation of private hospitals. We have had one for VA hospitals.

Ask the Veterans here on the Western Slope how much they like the Grand Junction VA Medical Center and you will get an overwelming vote of approval!! The VAMC has it’s problems sure but it is a model for the rest of the VA Health system. Privatize the VA? Where would all the patients go?? We don’t have enough General Practicioners in the Grand Valley as it is. Many practices are NOT taking on new patients. Where would the Vets go? Many practices also don’t want medicare/medicade patients because the paperwork is so convoluted and payment is so slow. Do you think those practices would take on Veterans if the the US Government “promised” to pay later?? Yeah, riiiight.

Ask the Veterans here on the Western Slope how much they like the Grand Junction VA Medical Center and you will get an overwelming vote of approval!! The VAMC has it’s problems sure but it is a model for the rest of the VA Health system. Privatize the VA? Where would all the patients go?? We don’t have enough General Practicioners in the Grand Valley as it is. Many practices are NOT taking on new patients. Where would the Vets go? Many practices also don’t want medicare/medicade patients because the paperwork is so convoluted and payment is so slow. Do you think those practices would take on Veterans if the the US Government “promised” to pay later?? Yeah, riiiight.

To a liberal, anyone who is conservative doen’t have a brain. Well, let’s turn the tables. I don’t think that Bennet has much intelligence. Otherwise he might actually have read the stimulus bill and realized the deleterious effects of that bill. Ditto for Obama care. And last I checked, Buck has never been a bureaucrat. Anyways, why do you, as a liberal, care whether he was a bureaucrat or not? Considering how much liberals love Obamacare, you seem to think that bureaucrats are the best!

Conservatives and Republicans have done more to fund and improve VA hospitals than all the liberals put together.

Tthat fact being true, I would still rather go to privately run system than one run by government bureaucrats. Sure many of these bureaucrats are disabled veterans themselves, but as a disabled veteran myself with 40 years of experience as a patient, I can state with all certainty that the majority of them don’t hold a candle to those working in privately run hospital.

That might upset some workers who will protest long and loudly, but it’s true!

Fortunately, I have extensive experience with service from both VA and privately run medical institutions. In all probability, the ones who will disagree don’t have that experience.

Conservatives and Republicans have done more to fund and improve VA hospitals than all the liberals put together.

Tthat fact being true, I would still rather go to privately run system than one run by government bureaucrats. Sure many of these bureaucrats are disabled veterans themselves, but as a disabled veteran myself with 40 years of experience as a patient, I can state with all certainty that the majority of them don’t hold a candle to those working in privately run hospital.

That might upset some workers who will protest long and loudly, but it’s true!

Fortunately, I have extensive experience with service from both VA and privately run medical institutions. In all probability, the ones who will disagree don’t have that experience.

First, Walter Reed is in Washington DC, NOT Bethesday MD!!
Secondly, and most importantly, my late husband was a Vietnam Vet. who received excellent care at the Grand Junction VA Medical Center. He was seen regularly as an outpatient and was hospitalized several times. I too am a Veteran. When I lost my job and health benifits a couple of years ago I started going to the VA. I too have received terrific care. I wouldn’t go back to the private sector now even if I had health insurance because I am happy with the care I receive and because there aren’t enough physicians practicing general medicine in the Grand Junction area.

Buck is right on the issues. The funding needs to come from the government, but it would be better run if it was run by the private sector.

Does Bennet actually have an opinion or taken a position on anything of significance?

He refuses to say what his opinion is on card check. On cap & trade, in DC he is for it, in Grand Junction he is against it, and at town hall meetings he has not made up his mind yet. Bennet is either clueless or afraid of himself and I am not sure which is worse.

Wow, talk about misconceptions. Privatizing the VA doesn’t get rid of it. Maybe that explains why you liberals are so terrified of letting the private sector do anything. You think that “evil profiteers” will simply do away with everything. Which, by the way, might get rid of their “evil” profits. I think the fact that you are complaining about Medicare and Medicaid and the paperwork involved is revealing. Seems to me that since the government runs both Medicare/Medicaid and the VA hospital system, your VA hospital being good is an exception, not the rule.

No, that’s not true. Private schools generally do better than public schools, and they don’t always have the same amount of funding. Of course, there are a few exceptions, but generally, private enterprise will do a lot more with the same amount of money than a public enterprise will.

The VA Hospitals have had a reputation for mediocre care for years—I can remember years ago when I did a clinical rotation in nursing school at a VA Hospital—my instructor stated she had seriously thought of not using the hospital for clinical instruction because of the poor care given to the patients—she then re-thought the situation stating she know the patients would receive the attention and care they deserved when her students were there.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.